Apparatus for intermittently operating gaseous electric devices



APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENTLY OPERATING GASEOUS ELECTRIC DEVICES Filed June 14, 1959 I INVENTOR SAMUEL FE/NGOLD A ORNEY Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR INTERBHTTENTLY OPER- ATING GASEOUS ELECTRIC DEVICES Samuel Feingoid, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application June 14, 1939, Serial No. 279,113

7 Claims. (Cl. 175-373) This invention relates to improvements in apiusting a non-inductive resistance or the capacity paratus for intermittently operating electrical of a condenser. devices; and more particularly pertains to the These and other objects are attained by the intermittent operation of vapor electric devices novel construction, combination and arrangerequiring a relatively high voltage. ment of parts hereinafter described and shown 5 In marking on roads the positions of dangerin the a c pany d w instituting a ous curves, cross-roads, and the like, it is the material part of this disclosure, d in which: practice to employ intermittently flashing signs, 1 is Wlring diagram 1 n app r popularly called beacons. It has been found that m in my nv t as us d f r p at l i t b filled t neon gas are h hly an electrical device requiring a relatively high satisfactory. However, the use of such tubes erequires a relatively high voltage, in the neigh- 85- 2 to 4 are wiring dia ms o 8 modified borhood of 2500 volts; and inasmuch as the beak form of he nvention. cons are ositi n d at points along th ad r- If a resistance in series with a condenser is mote from power lines and other sources of elecconnected across a Source p e tricity, it has been necessary to operate th i condenser will charge up through the resistance.

minous tubes by means oi storage batteries The phenomenon is not accomplished d y,

dry 11 t m th hi voltage has rather, certain definite relations are established obtained by mechanically breaking the circuit fi The instant potential is pplied to a rethrough 11 b t th operation of th mecharxsistor and condenser in series combination, the 20 ical means places a heavy load on the battery, charge on the condenser being Zero, he counter and l when mechanical means are employed electromotive force is also zero, and the full poth i always a delayed break of t circuit tential is therefore placed across the resistance through the coil, all of which cause rapid deresulting in the imum current flowing into terioration oi the battery, necessitating replacethe condenser, ov ned only by the ohmic value 25 t t frequent t l it always t p05- of the resistance. An instant later a charge due sibility of the battery suddenly railing before the to this current has cu u ed on the connecessary replacement can be made to continue denser, resulting in n apprec able counter electhe proper operation of the bea tromotive force and hence a diminishing of the In t i disclosure t t relay is intended current flowing into the condenser, a short while 30 to refer to any electro-magnetic device having later the charge has 8 g eater and the curone or more coils and one or more armatures Tent has decreased SOme more- This goes o adapted t b tt t d h t coils are until the charge has reached the value of the cited. potential producing it, the current at that point In accordance t my invention" the break being zero. The rate of charge increases loga- 35 of the circuit through the primary of a transrithmically from zero to maximum potential former is caused by the excitation f a relay while the rate of current decrease, decreases which is in parallel with a condenser, the latter logarithmically from maximum current zerogoveming the time of operation of the relay The rate of increase of charge and therefore N0 mechanical means are required to make and the rate of decrease in current is determined by 40 break a circuit such as heretofore used on bea- RC time constant of the i where is con lights. and the battery is employed only the resistance of the circuit including the resistt n for each flash ance of the condenser and C the capacity in men ar y iarads. This is equal to the time required for I, It is therefore an object Of the invention to the charge to reach r its final or maximum provide an apparatus for intermittently operatvalue. This time is expressed in seconds. From ing electrical devices requiring relatively high the foregoing it can be Seen that f any given voltage derived from 061150! Storage battercapacity all is necessary to delay or m 8 Which apparatus Eliminates the use Of crease the charge on the condenser is to vary 5Q chanical make and break devices, such as above the resistance of the circuit R. Also for any mentioned. fixed value of R a different time constant will A further object is the provision of an apparesult if to it are connected capacities of varying ratus for intermittently operating electrical devalues. vices, in which the interval between each oper- Ii, in a resistor condenser series combination, ation can be controlled and determined by ada resistance were shunted across or placed in 55 parallel with the condenser, the charge on the condenser would never be higher than the volt age drop across the resistor, and'also should the exciting source of potential be removed, the condenser will discharge through the parallel resistance. denser at a certain rate depending upon the value of the series resistance, and discharge it at another rate depending upon the value of the shunt resistance. The time constant holds good for either a charge or discharge condition and in the above case, two difierent time constants would be obtained. It is clearly seen from the above that since the condenser will not reach a higher potential than the potential across the shunted resistance, the resistance therefore will have to be as high as possible in comparison with the series resistance. If several resistances are shunted across the condenser it will charge -up to the value of the potential across the equivalent resistance and the time constant for the discharge will be the product of the capacity and the value of the equivalent resistance.

In connection with the development of means to create electric impulses, all of the foregoing facts are used, also means which will prevent the condenser from discharging through nothing but the relay coil. Such means may be contacts which open at the point of discharge and rectifiers which prevent current from flowing in the reverse directions. These will be described later.

In Fig. 1 is shown a relay with a condenser shunted across it. This combination is connected to a source of D. 0. minus potential on one.

side and to an impulse transformer a set of break contacts and a source of plus potential on the other side. From the theory already described, the counter electromotive force of the condenser being zero when the potential is first applied, the current will flow through the transformer and be limited only by its resistance. This will full excite the transformer, and begin to charge the condenser. Before the excitation has been materially diminished due to the increas- 45 ing charge on the condenser, the relay being of the quick-acting type has operated, breaking the circuit, collapsing the fiux of the transformer and flashing the neon tube. The condenser now begins to discharge through the relay, which will remain operated until the potential of the condenser has fallen to the non-operative point of the relay where it will release its armature and the action will start all over again. The speed of the generated impulses is governed by the resistance 01 the relay and the capacity of the condenser. The holding of the armature to the pole piece while the relay is being operated due to the condenser discharge is called the relay. In Fig, 2 is shown a relay with a copper slug on the armature end. Either a slug or a sleeve around the iron core will have the same effect, namely to momentarily retard the attraction of the armature when voltage is applied to the relay, and after attraction to hold the armature attracted for a short period after the exciting current has been removed. Such a relay wired up as a buzzer with a transformer in series as shown will generate a continuous series of pulses or flashes. I Fig. 3 shows a double wound relay wired up as a Gulstad relay, which is a relay described on pages 287 to 290 of Printing telegraph systems and mechanisms by H. H. Harrison, published 1923 by Langmans. Green 8: Co., New York. The armature will remain unattracted so long as the It is therefore possible to charge the concondenser is being charged, since the current flowing in the two coils simultaneously produce fluxes which are'in opposition. When the condenser is charged the effect of coil A becomes zero. The current then flowing in coil 13 attracts the armature. When the armature leaves the contact, the condenser discharges through coils A and B in series and keeps the armature attracted. The rectifier is inserted to prevent the condenser from discharging through the transformer.

Fig. 4 shows a combination of Figs. 2 and 3 to produce a series of short pulses followed by a long delay. Relay K acts as a control relay to determine for what period of time, pulsing relay S should generate impulses. The pulses are generated while the control relay armature is unattracted. When the armature leaves the contact, the pulsing ceases since positive potential is removed and stays removed until the condenser isfully discharged and the armature falls back. To prevent the condenser from discharging through the pulsing relay the rectifier is used.

While the apparatus has been described as being applied to the operation of a neon tube or similar vapor electric device, it is obvious that it can be used for the intermittent operation of any electrical device requiring a relatively high transformed voltage obtained from dry cells or the like.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only, and not as restrictive or limitative of the invention, of which obviously an embodiment may be constructed ineluding modifications without departing from the.

general scope herein indicated and denoted in the a pended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pate is:

1. In an apparatus for the intermittent operation of electrical load devices, an electromagneticdevice having a pair of coils in series, a condenser in parallel with said coils, an armature of the electromagnetic device adapted to be connected to the positive terminal of a battery when the electromagnetic device 13 unexcited, a rectifier connected to the junction of said coils and to said armature, a transformer having its primary coil connected to the armature and to the negative terminal of the battery, said condenser being connected to said negative terminal also, and an electrical load device connected to the terminals of the secondary of the transformer.

2. In an apparatus for the intermittent operation of electrical load devices, a first electromagnetic device having a pair of coils in series, a condenser in parallel with said coils, a rectifier connected to the junction of said coils, an

armature of the first electromagnetic device connected to the positive terminal of a battery, said armature of the first electromagnetic device being adapted to be connected to said rectifier when the first electromagnetic device is unexcited, a second electromagnetic device having its coil in series with the primary of a transformer, the coil of the second electromagnetic device being connected to said rectifier, an armature for the second electromagnetic device connected to the negative terminal of the battery when the second electromagnetic device is unexcited, said second electromagnetic device having a core provided with a band of non-magnetic metal encircling the end thereof adjacent'the armature of the second electromagnetic device, said condenser being connected to the negative terminal of the battery,'and an electrical load device connected to the terminals of the secondary of the transformer.

3. In an apparatus for the intermittent operation 01. electrical load devices, a first electromagnetic device having a pair of coils in series, a condenser in parallel with said coils, a rectifier connected to the junction of said coils, an armature of the first electromagnetic device connected to the positive terminal of a battery, said armature of the first electromagnetic device being adapted to be connected to said rectifier when the first electromagnetic device is unexcited, a second electromagnetic device having its coil in series with the primary oi a transformer, the coil of the second electromagnetic device being connected to said rectifier, an armature for the second electromagnetic device connected to the negative terminal of the battery when the second electromagnetic device is unexcited, said condenser being connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and an electrical load device connected to the terminals of the secondary of the transformer.

4. In an apparatus for the intermittent operation of electrical load devices, an electromagnetic device having a pair of coils in series, a condenser in parallel with said coils, an armature of the electromagnetic device adapted to be connected to the positive terminal of a battery when the electromagnetic device is unexcited, a rectifier connected to the junction of said coils, and to said armature, said condenser being connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and} an electrical load device connected to the armat'nre, Y

and to said negative terminal. I

5. In an apparatus for intermittent operation of electrical load devices, a first electromagnetic device having a pair of coils in series, a condenser in parallel with said coils, a rectifier connected to the Junction of said coils, an armature of the first electromagnetic device connected to the positive terminal of a battery, said armature of the first electromagnetic device being adapted to be connected to said rectifier when the first electromagnetic device is unexcited, a second electromagnetic device connected to said rectifier, an armature of the second electromagnetic device connected to the negative terminal of the battery when the second electromagnetic device is unexcited, said second electromagnetic device having an electrical inductive retarding means adjacent the armature of the second electromagnetic device, said condenser being connected to the negative terminal 01' the battery, and an electrical load device connected in series. with the second electromagnetic device.

6. In an apparatus for intermittent operation of electrical load'devices, a first electromagnetic device having a pair 01' coils in series, a condenser in parallel with said coils, a rectifier connected to the junction of said coils, an armature of the first electromagnetic device connected to the positive terminal of a battery, said armature oi the first electromagnetic device being adapted to be connected to said rectifier when the first electromagnetic device is unexcited, a second electro-- of electrical load devices, a first electromagnetic device having a pair of coils in series, a condenser in parallel with said coils, a rectifier connected to the junction 01 said coils,.an armature of the first electromagnetic device connected to the positive terminal of a battery, said armature of the first electromagnetic device being adapted to be connected to said rectifier when the first electromagnetic device is unexcited, a second electromagnetic device connected to said rectifier, an armature oi the second electromagnetic device connected to the negative terminal of the battery when the second electromagnetic device is unexcited, said second electromagnetic device having an electrical retarding means, said condenser being connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and an electrical load device connected in series with the second electromagnetic device.

SAMUEL F EINGOLD. 

